


aesthetics and identity

by Emmar



Series: the bravest and the boldest [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Disabled Character, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-15 09:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1299256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmar/pseuds/Emmar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Proper introductions are made. For a given value of proper.</p>
<p>(The second piece in my series about the Marauders as they might have been with disabilities. Takes place immediately after part one.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	aesthetics and identity

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: This won't make much sense if you don't read the first part in the series first.

“Lupin, right?”

Remus blinks, turns to his right and says, “Yes. You’re Black, right?”

The boy squints at him for a moment, then nods. “Yeah. Hey, what happened to your _arm_?”

Remus laughs, startled, because of course _someone_ was going to ask about it. Black isn’t the only one interested - he can see the others not-so-subtly listening in - but Black is the one he focuses on. He lets the silence stretch dramatically for a moment, and then says, “It’s a secret.”

Black throws his hands in the air with a groan, and Remus can’t help but laugh.

“Can you believe this guy?” he grouses to the boy sat across from him, Potter, Remus thinks. Potter chuckles, shakes his head, and then-- signs. “No, no,” says Black after a moment, “slow down.” Potter rolls his eyes, and repeats himself, hands moving more slowly. The two of them drift off into their own conversation then, Black speaking and occasionally signing clumsily, Potter signing exclusively.

Then Potter flicks a pea and gets Black square in the eye.

The only reason a food fight doesn’t ensue is because the one-eyed boy beside Potter nudges him gently and points up at the head table, where Professor McGonagall is staring them all down with a gimlet eye. Potter grins up at her, and she sighs, waving a dismissive hand.

_Thanks_ , Potter signs, a simple enough gesture that even Remus knows it.  
The other boy shrugs nervously and says, “It was nothing.”

Potter signs something else, and after a second, Black translates, “What’s your name?”  
“Peter. Peter Pettigrew.”  
“Nice to meet you, Peter! I’m Sirius, this is James, and the one-armed fellow is--”  
“Remus,” he supplies, with a smile.  
“Remus Lupin. Oh, prefect’s rounding us up!”

Remus gets to his feet a little unsteadily, leg unwilling to support him after his foolishness earlier, and Black - Sirius, now, he supposes - steadies him without looking away from the approaching prefect, one hand under his elbow. “Thanks,” he murmurs, but Sirius doesn’t respond.

“Peter,” he says, as they reach the end of the table, “here,” and offers an elbow. Peter gives him a grateful look and takes hold of his sleeve, and the two of them follow the prefect and the other first years at a rather slower pace.

“So,” Peter says, apprehensively, “what _did_ happen to your arm? If you don’t mind me asking.”  
“Like I told Sirius,” Remus says with aplomb, “it’s a secret. But if you stick around you might find out.”

Peter laughs, quietly, and says, “Yeah, okay.”


End file.
